I was emerging from the base gym’s steam room, sweating and feeling a bit woozy, when I heard her. “We don’t do base housing,” a young female officer putting on her blueberry fatigues told a friend in the women’s locker room. She mentioned that she received orders to her next duty at Naval Station Mayport,…
modern culture
Sex, Lies and Profile Photos
Eight years ago, I sat at a desk in our stairwell apartment on Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, and created my first Facebook profile. Technology was not my forte, so it took hours for me to figure out how to upload a digital photo. The image that I used that afternoon is the same one…
Alexa Killed the Cat
After a lifetime of wondering things like, “How do you say ÔÇÿunderwear’ in Urdu?” and “What is the shelf life of a can of Pringles?” I no longer have to wrack my brain for the answers to life’s pressing questions. In an unprecedented act of holiday generosity, my 21-year-old son bought me a tiny robot,…
A Zombie’s Guide to Rural Vermont
“I booked three nights in a one-room cabin in Woodstock, Vermont with two queen beds, a fireplace and an air mattress!” my husband Francis bellowed excitedly, after searching for a last-minute excursion for our family during the long holiday break. After two tours in Europe, our three kids were accustomed to these spontaneous trips, otherwise…
